Technology

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ninja/post/119287

During a recent "Meet the Experts" webcast, AMD shared some key design aspects of its forthcoming Ryzen 8000 series processors for desktops, specifically targeting workstations and value servers. These AM5 socketed chips are set to blend the next-generation Zen 5 CPU architecture with an upgraded graphics architecture, labeled Navi 3.5. A roadmap for AM5, spanning from 2022, was shared during the webcast, highlighting the transition from the Ryzen 5000 series that combines Zen 3 and Vega graphics, to the current Ryzen 7000 series integrating Zen 4 CPU cores and Navi 3.0 graphics, and finally the AMD Ryzen 8000 series debuting in 2024, which will pack Zen 5 CPU cores and Navi 3.5 graphics.

The Ryzen 8000 series chips provide those willing to hold out for another generation of upgrades or new PC builds with a concrete target to anticipate. The presentation slide also confirmed that the AM5 will continue into 2026, and at this pace, we could expect two more Ryzen desktop generations before the socket is replaced by a new one, possibly named AM6.

Previous roadmaps for next-gen AMD Ryzen desktops hinted at the Ryzen 8000 series being codenamed 'Granite Ridge' (or 'Strix Point' for laptops), featuring up to 16 Zen 5 CPU cores across two CCDs. Also part of the SoC will be the Navi 3.5 GPU, speculated to be a die shrink of Navi 3 for enhanced clocks/efficiency but with largely the same features. An intriguing point from the slide suggests the current Ryzen 7000 series processors for AM5 use 'Navi 3.0' graphics, although chips released in 2023 utilize RNDA 2 (Navi 2.x) integrated GPUs. Whether a refresh is in the cards to align with the roadmap remains to be seen.

RDNA 4, following the RDNA 3 GPU architecture that launched in 2023, represents the first preview of Radeon RX 8000-series gaming GPUs, codenamed 'Navi 4x'. While there aren't any specific details on the RX 8000 graphics cards, it's expected that the flagship RX 8900 XT will likely utilize a dual-node architecture using 3nm and 5nm processes. Rumors suggest that the Navi 4x family will exclusively employ the RDNA 4 architecture, and that the upcoming Navi 3x (RX 7000 series) may use a combination of RDNA 3 for high-end GPUs and a refreshed RDNA 2 for more budget-friendly options.

AMD's new roadmap confirms the release of next-gen Ryzen 8000 CPUs featuring Zen 5 technology and an updated "Navi 3.5" graphics architecture next year. Speculations indicate that Navi 3.5 might enable integrated graphics with performance comparable to an Nvidia RTX 3070. Although AMD has previously mentioned Zen 5, this is the first official mention of Ryzen 8000 and the new Navi 3.5 graphics architecture.

The official roadmap, however, doesn't delve into any details regarding Navi 3.5. But according to a recent Twitter post from serial leaker Kepler_L2, Navi 3.5 is essentially the RDNA 3 architecture with a few elements from RDNA 4. In particular, it's speculated to have revised shader ALUs with support for new FP32 instructions and enhancements to the geometry engine, but it won't incorporate new RDNA 4 scheduler and improved RT cores. The actual impact on performance from these updates remains uncertain.